


Girl From The Bookshop

by 425_ThePerfectDate



Category: Warrior Nun (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Ava being a dumbass, Avatrice, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, teen only because language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25329574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/425_ThePerfectDate/pseuds/425_ThePerfectDate
Summary: Ava gets dragged to an artsy on-campus film festival by her friend Diego. Disinterest turns to excitement when she spots the girl from the bookshop that she's had a crush on for forever.Also known as Ava embarrassing herself because of "Hot Bookshop Beatrice"
Relationships: Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva
Comments: 31
Kudos: 505





	Girl From The Bookshop

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Kylah from Future Warrior Nuns discord for that bookshop idea.

The orange glow of the setting sun hits the sprawling campus of St. Areala University, a 150 plus year-old school. It’s large, Gothic architecture made you feel like you were walking through a different century. 

Twenty-two year old Ava Silva, impetuous and stubborn, drags her feet behind Diego, her younger friend who had been accelerated a few grades. In many ways, he was a lot more mature than she was despite being 4 years her junior. He whips his head towards her. “Come on, Ava,” impatience clear in his voice. “You promised you’d come with me to the film festival.”

Ava huffs. “Yeah, but I thought we were going downtown to watch superhero movies… Not Artsy McFuck hipster films made by students--”

“They’re not regular students!” Diego interrupts. “They’re _graduate_ students.”

“And is that meant to impress me? Call me when they get a Netflix deal.” 

That was it. Diego raises one of the tickets to the festival. He holds it in the air and lets go. It floats to the ground. “Well I’m going because I think it’s interesting. You can pick up your ticket and come with, or just go back to the dorms.”

Diego continues on his way. Ava mutters a curse under her breath. She picks up the ticket and sprints after him. As soon as she catches up, she grabs his shoulder and puts him in a playful headlock. 

“Gah!”

“You’re really good at guilt-tripping me,” Ava laughs as Diego struggles to break free. He eventually succeeds and laughs. He nudges her. She pushes him. He pushes her back and she stumbles on the cobbled steps of the school’s communications building. 

“Ow, that hurt.” Ava rubs her shoulder as Diego shows their passes at the door.

Moments later, after getting distracted multiple times by popcorn and drinks, Ava is wrangled by Diego and they finally enter the theater. They take their seats in the middle row. Diego looks around.

“Wow, looks like they have a good turnout,” he says, impressed.

“Hm, sure,” Ava replies with an uncaring air. “But they’re all film nerds who are just here to circle-jerk their own work. So I don’t think it counts.” She shoves a handful of popcorn in her mouth to make a point. 

Two students, a no-nonsense grad student, and a young undergrad who looks like she’s everyone’s sister they wish they had, turn to shush her. Ava shrugs, unapologetic. 

Ava yawns and pulls her hoodie up. She sinks in her chair. Her eyes blink to a slow close. Time to nap. Just as she’s about to drift off, she feels Diego straighten beside her. She hears footsteps-- heels-- walk in front of the room.

“Hello fellow students, faculty and friends. Welcome to the first day of our film festival.” It’s the loveliest British accent Ava has ever heard. Ava jerks up, her eyes pop open. She recognizes that voice. She pushes her hoodie down and leans forward. There she is addressing the crowd: Beatrice. She's graceful, intellectual, and--

"Hot dayum," Ava whispers. Diego raises his eyebrows. "Nothing," Ava answers his silent question. "It's just... that tweed jacket is, um, it's a look."

Diego is unconvinced. There's more than just an admiration for a nicely tailored tweed jacket. "Uh-oh. Is she an ex or something?"

"Diego, do you think I’d ever break up with someone that pretty?"

"...Is that a trick question?" 

Ava chuckles quietly. There's no harm in expounding, she supposes. "She’s that girl from the bookshop across town I told you about."

Recognition dawns on Diego's face. "Hot Bookshop Beatrice?"

Ava nods solemnly. "Hot Bookshop Beatrice." Ava looks back down towards the stage, entranced. "I didn't know she was a grad student here."

"You told me you haven't seen her in a while."

"Yeah, I thought she quit her job at the bookshop and left or something." Ava's eyes remains transfixed as Beatrice continues to speak... Something about the films being a partnership between the undergraduate department and the grad students. Ava focuses as much as she can. She's not a film buff, but maybe she can google some of these terms.

"This short that I co-directed is largely inspired by the French New Wave," Beatrice explains to the interested crowd. "You may see homages to greats like Agnès Varda and Jean-Luc Godard."

"Jean-Luc Godaaaard," Ava mimics Beatrice's accent.

The no-nonsense grad student in front of her turns again. "Can you please keep it in your pants for the rest of the show?"

"Mary, it's fine," her younger companion says. Mary scoffs.

"Camila, I gotta teach you to be more confrontational." Mary flashes one last stink eye at Ava as Beatrice finishes her introduction. The theater politely claps.

 _"Geez, what's her deal?"_ Ava thinks to herself.

As Beatrice walks towards her seat, she looks up with searching eyes. They land on Ava's section. Beatrice’s smile widens and Ava’s follows suit.

 _Oh my God,_ Ava thinks. _She sees me. She recognizes me._ Ava raises her hand, but then notices the Mary and Camila waving cheerfully. Beatrice wasn't saying hi to her. She didn't even see her. Ava lets her hand go limp.

The lights dim and Mary turns towards her once more. She flashes Ava a smirk that seems to say "Gotcha."

-

Students pour out from the various theaters as the first day of the festival comes to an end. Ava and Diego are among the crowd. "That first one was so cool," Diego gushes. "I don’t usually like jump cuts, but I think it really works with the message and--" Diego looks around and sees Ava trailing behind him-- "Ava?" 

"What?" She's distracted. Ava's eyes are searching, her stride stalling.

"You're looking for HBB?"

"HBB?"

Diego lips curl into a smile. He leans in as if conspiring. "Hot Bookshop Beatrice?" He whispers. Ava grins, unable to hold it at bay. She's smitten and he knows it.

"Do you mind?" She asks. "I know you have homework but I'll just--"

"Hang around?" He says, finishing her thought.

"Hang around, yeah," Ava waves a finger for emphasis. She's getting more and more jittery by the second. "I just want to congratulate her, and say hey... and--"

"Get her number?"

"Maybe," she answers coyly.

Diego nods a silent good luck, and heads off. Ava waits as students keep filing out.

-

Two hours pass. Ava is in the same spot, sitting against the wall, with no one else is around. Is it time to leave? Perhaps. But she feels as if she's in a game of poker and she's put in too many chips at this point. She might as well see it through. She thinks briefly about coming back the next day. The festival is a week long. But a voice deep down inside tells her _stay_. What's another few hours when she's waited this long to see her again?

She scrolls through her phone to pass time, looking for examples and definitions of the "French New Wave."

"What the hell is a French wave, and why was it new? I just need a bullet point, geez," she mutters to herself.

Voices echo through the empty halls. Someone's coming. Ava listens. "Well, we have another week to go," Ava hears. It's her.

Ava scrambles up and adjusts her jacket. Sleeves rolled up, or down? Up, or down? Up is fine. No, down. The voices get louder. Ava leans oh so casually against the wall. She pulls up her phone and pretends to swipe through multiple dating app matches. She's cool. She's collected. She's got 20 matches on Tinder.

A group of students round the corner, Beatrice among them... But also Mary and Camila. _Shit._ Ava looks down. She needs the exit, but it's across from her. She has to pass by the crowd of film nerds and her beautiful bookshop girl who also happens to be a nerd, but it's ok, Ava accepts her. It's now or never. Ava drops her head and attempts to cooly, inconspicuously, glide across the lobby towards the exit. She keeps low. Stealth is her friend. She's almost there and she's absolutely not calling attention to--

"Ava?"

Ava freezes mid-walk. _Shit._ She turns toward Beatrice and her friends and feigns sudden recognition. "Oh! Hey! Um..."

"Beatrice," she says, reminding Ava of her name as if Ava could ever forget.

"Yes! That's right, I watched your film earlier. Beatrice from the bookshop."

"Some may even call her 'hot bookshop Beatrice,'" Mary butts in, wrapping an arm around Beatrice. Beatrice, in return, furrows her eyebrows.

"Mary, who says this?"

"I just heard it a few times. Right, Camila?"

Camila sips her tea, taking her sweet time to reply. "Uh-huh." 

"Ava," Mary continues, "I'm assuming you frequent the shop across town?"

Ava shrugs. Time to act cool. She's good at this. It ain't no thing. "I wouldn’t say _frequent_. But I am occasionally a buyer... a purchaser, you know. Of books." _Smooth_. 

Mary tilts her head, her interrogation still not done. "Surely, you've heard whispers about Hot Bookshop Beatrice in your time as a purchaser of books."

Ava grimaces. Her eyes dart between Mary and Beatrice. Camila continues to sip her tea.

"Mary, you're embarrassing me in front of my..." Beatrice glances at Ava, "Friend that I haven't seen in a while." Mary nods, as if trying to understand. "Look," Beatrice continues, "Both of you have monopolized my time during the entire duration of my premiere party, and now I would like to catch up with Ava, please."

"Alright. Let's go Camila."

"Send Lilith my love."

"Oh, hell yeah I will."

"Bye Beatrice," Camila says with a smile. She looks pointedly at Ava. "Bye _Ava_ ," she says with emphasis. 

Mary and Camila leave, the ghost of their laughter trailing behind. Beatrice watches after them. Once they've exited, she smiles at Ava. The rest of their group have also dispersed, and they’re alone.

Ava breaks the silence. "I have no idea what they were talking about!"

"Oh, that’s fine. They might have been drunk... which is strange."

"What’s strange about getting drunk at a party?"

"Well," Beatrice begins, still trying to make sense of what happened, "for one, we didn’t serve any alcohol."

"Maybe their bodies just naturally produce a lot of serotonin... like sero- _tonic?_ " Awful. An absolutely awful pun. But Beatrice laughs anyway and Ava takes it in. She'd spend her life making her laugh if she could.

"I've missed you making me laugh, Ava," Beatrice says softly. It felt like a confession. "You haven’t dropped by the shop in so long... Where’ve you been?"

"I should be asking you that!" Ava exclaims, defensively. "I stopped seeing you, so I stopped going."

"Yeah, well, I took a month off to finish the film and--" Beatrice stops abruptly. Realization hits her. "Wait. Why did you stop going to the bookshop again?"

"Huh?"

"You said you stopped seeing me, so you stopped going," Beatrice says more to herself than to the other girl, like she's picking it apart and analyzing it. 

"Say what?"

Beatrice holds Ava's gaze. "Did you stop going to the shop because you... stopped seeing me there?"

"I..." Ava's voice trails. _Quick think of something._ She looks around them, as if something caught her attention. "Did you hear that?!"

"Ava..."

"Must have been the wind."

"We're indoors."

"So! French new wave? What was the old wave like?"

Beatrice takes a step towards her. "That business about 'hot bookshop Beatrice,' was that you as well?"

Ava freezes for a second time that night. Beatrice takes another small step. Ava panics. She whips around and speed walks towards the exit. _Fuck. Not cool. That was so cringe._ Ava reaches for the door when she felt the need to look back. She looks over her shoulder and Beatrice is still standing there. She has an amused expression on her face, but she doesn't move. She doesn't try to run after Ava. She's waiting. It would be unfair for Ava to leave now. So she takes a deep breath and heads back.

She walks a bit too fast and halts a little bit too late. She's right in front of Beatrice and a little closer than before. But no one steps back. Beatrice doesn't break eye contact and neither does Ava. _Here goes nothing._

"Can I get your number?" Ava asks almost robotically.

Beatrice's lips twitch. "Yes," she whispers. 

"Ok. Cool." Ava chokes out. She turns to leave but Beatrice catches her wrist.

"I haven't given it to you yet."

"Oh. Right." _Damn she was a hot mess._

Ava faces her "friend" once more.

"I have one condition," Beatrice says.

"What?"

And she leans in. Hot Bookshop Beatrice with the most beautiful British accent Ava has ever heard leaned in and captured Ava's lips with hers. It's sweet and chaste but with a hint of more... Intensity simmering beneath the surface, ready to break free. Promise vibrates in the air. And then they part.

"That it?" Ava asks with a playful smile. "You can have more of those if you want."

Beatrice finally breaks eye contact. It's her turn to blush. So Ava leans in and gives her more, just as promised.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it! This started in script form as I'm usually a screenwriter/sketch writer... and I haven't written prose in so long. But here you go! Always good to flex those rusty muscles.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Girl From the Bookshop](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26849578) by [AudioFrickBooks](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AudioFrickBooks/pseuds/AudioFrickBooks)




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